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With some of the season’s first freezing temperatures coming our way this weekend, we’re recommending you go for maximum defense with Brooklyn Black Ops. This year’s vintage was aged in Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon barrels for a mellow finish and distinct vanilla oak notes to combine with the powerful dark chocolate and espresso notes in the beer. Be warned: at just over 12% ABV, this is a beer for well after the riding is done for the day.

In the meantime, as you finish out the work week, watch out for ticketing:

At least 5 @NYPDTransport out on 1st Ave at 59th St giving multitudes of ebike & red light tickets to #bikeNYC but ignoring cars running red lights & turning from non-turn lanes. Officer to me: “What am I Superman? I can’t run after those cars to make them stop.” pic.twitter.com/AFC17iPXlh

Steve Vaccaro, an attorney who frequently represents cyclists, said he was surprised by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's decision to bring the top-level misdemeanor against the cyclist, given the lack of consequences for motorists in similar incidents.

"This guy is facing serious consequences for his bad choice, and that's how it should be," Vaccaro told Gothamist. "But is this the same Cy Vance who refused to to bring criminal charges against the cab driver who killed 9-year-old Cooper Stock?"

The charges aren't outrageous--until you consider how drivers make out:

Vance and other NYC district attorneys have been frequently criticized by safe streets activists who echo Vaccaro's complaint. In 2014, a plea deal with Vance resulted in an unlicensed driver receiving a $400 fine after striking and killing a woman crossing an Upper East Side street. Earlier this year, an oil truck driver who fatally struck a cyclist in Manhattan and left the scene faced only a potential penalty of a $500 fine and 30 days in jail from misdemeanor charges brought by Vance.

If you're going to kill someone in New York City you should always do it with a car.

“Citi Bike has not come with that requirement and it’s been incredibly successful and productive. We don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so that’s what we have to balance,” the mayor said.

But what's considerably more baffling are the comments from his spokesman:

Despite his stated enthusiasm for increased helmet use, Hizzoner has shown little commitment to the cause — on the two occasions he’s biked as mayor at press events, he did not wear a helmet, photos show.

Asked why, a spokesman said: “When the Mayor has ridden a bike publicly as Mayor, he’s done so on the Rockaway Boardwalk and Prospect Park — neither of which are actual streets that the NTSB proposal would be limited to.”

Why would a theoretical helmet law not apply on the boardwalk or in Prospect Park? How are they not "actual streets?" Do traffic laws not apply if you're recreating? Does that mean cyclists don't have to stop for lights in the parks either?

New York City will become the first city in the nation to implement congestion pricing sometime in 2020 as both a revenue stream for mass transit improvements and a means to incentivize cars off crowded city streets.

Perhaps it’s also time to impose a tiered tolling system that takes in account an automobile’s fuel performance as well as the added risks SUV width, weight and height pose to pedestrians and cyclists. Or maybe it’s just time to just ban SUVs from congested cities like New York altogether.